Refrigerator latch



May 25, 1954 L. ANDERSON REFRIGERATOR LATCH s Sheets-$heet 1 Filed Nov. 8, 1948 luvsm'oa LLOYD L ANDERSON WW ATTORNEYS FIG. 2..

May 25, 1954 L. 1.. ANDERSON REFRIGERATOR LATCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1948 m TM m Tr w NN T \Am A L. M W7 0 m x m u I I0 z m 22 9 z 2 y 1954 ANDERSON REFRIGERATOR LATCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 8, 1948 "I'll",

ATTORNEYS Patented May 25, 1954 2,679,421 REFRIGERATOR LATCH Lloyd L. Anderson, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to Jervis Corporation, poration of Michigan Grandville, Mich., a cor- Application November 8, 1948, Serial No. 58,953

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a novel, relatively simple, inexpensive and practical refrigerator latch.

In refrigerators of the household type, and particularly those refrigerators which embody mechanical refrigeration so that loss of refrigeration is to be carefully guarded against, it is essential that the usual sealing gasket between the edge portions of the door where engaged against the door frame members of the refrigerator, shall be held snugly compressed by the force of the latch so that there shall be a minimum in leaks of cooler air from within the refrigerator or introduction of heat into and within the refrigerator by reason of a defective sealing. It is, therefore, requisite that the spring force which is used in the latch to hold the door in tight sealing condition shall be amply sufficient to insure such sealing. At the same time, it is very desirable that the latch may be released whenever the door is to be opened without the expenditure of undue force by the one who operates the latch to release it.

The present invention obtains these desirable results in a better and more facile way by means of novel structure, the latch being smaller and more compact and using less material than has previously been considered necessary, with a resultant lowering of costs. The opening of the door by manual release of the latch is easier obtained, the latch being more easily operated, and when the door is closed there is developed higher closing pressures for maintaining the gasket seal compressed.

It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a practical and useful latch mechanism by means of which these necessary and desirable objects and functions are fully attained. Another object of the invention is to provide a latch structure operating upon the same principles of operation whether the latch is of the so-called surface type, that is, located against the outer side of a refrigerator door, or whether it is of the concealed type, located within the body of the door adjacent its vertical edge, with only the handle for operating the latch mechanism exposed at the outer side of the door.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the latch mechanism showing it in its cocked position, that is, in the position which it takes when the latch is released for opening the door,

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the latch in its operative position engaged with a keeper, the keeper being mounted upon the refrigerator casing door frame and the latch upon the door, both being shown fragmentarily in elevation,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the interior mechanism of the latch in its keeper engaging position,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the latch mechanism in the position occupied by it when, if it should become uncooked with the door open, it is closed by automatic engagement of the latch bolt with the keeper,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section substantially on the plane of line 55 of Fig. 2 looking downwardly, and Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through fragmentary portions of the door casing and the fragmentary vertical edge of the door, showing a modified form of latch operating upon the same operative principles, with the latch mechanism concealed in the door.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The vertical side of the door frame I upon which the latch keeper is mounted, and the swinging door 2 of a refrigerator hinged to turn about a vertical axis fragmentarily shown in Fig. 2, are of conventional structure. The keeper or strike includes a keeper hook 3 which extends from a plate l, adjustably mounted upon the door casing I by means of a conventional screw and slot adjustment connection, and housed by a thin sheet metal housing 5 which normally at its outer side is plated with a decorative plating.

In the structure of the latch mechanism which is secured at the outer side of the door 2, a metal fixture on which the movable parts of the latch mechanism are mounted is provided, having two spaced apart generally parallel sides 6 and 1 integrally connected at one edge by a transverse member 8 between them. Between the plates 6 and 1 and near the lower corner of their free edges, a handle 9 is mounted. Said handle at its pivotally connected end is formed. as a fork, having spaced sides I I], one adjacent each of the fixture sides 6 and 'l, and with an outer arc-shaped housing II as shown. A pivot pin I2 passes through the spaced sides I0 and through the sides 6 and I of the carrying fixture. A coiled torsion spring I 3 around the pivot I2 has one arm engaging the handle 9 (Fig. 2) and the other a lug struck from one of the sides of said fixture. Said spring under tension normally will move the handle to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the upper end of one edge of the arcshaped housing I I comes against a stop I4 which is turned from side 6 to lie in the path of movement of the housing II, so that the handle when free will occupy an upper position, as in Fig. 2, in which position it is stopped by the stop lug I4.

A bell crank member formed of fiat metal, with spaced parallel sides I5, is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin I2, the sides I5 being connected by integral upper and lower transverse members It and I1, as shown. The lower member I6 is engaged by the other edge of the arcshaped housing II of the handle. The bell crank member has a generally horizontal upper arm extending away from the handle and a generally downwardly extending vertical arm, between the upper and lower ends of which the pivot pin I2 is located. Rollers [8 within, but one adjacent each of the sides I5, are mounted on a horizontal pin l9 which is carried by and extends between the free ends of the sides of the upper arm of the bell crank member. At the lower edges of said upper arm and immediately adjacent the rollers i8, said sides l of the bell crank member are upwardly recessed as indicated at |5a (Fig. l).

A bar has its lower end located between the rollers l8, holding the rollers spaced apart, and the pin l9 passes freely through the lower end portion of said bar. The bar extends vertically and at its upper end portion passes through an opening in a horizontal guide 2! for it, extending between the sides 6 and l of the carrying fixture and permanently connected therewith. A relatively heavy coiled compression spring 22 is around the bar 20, its upper end bearing upon the guide plate 2! and its lower end against a shoulder made near the lower end of the bar. Said spring under compression acts normally to turn the bell crank member in a counter-clockwise direction.

The bell crank member under the force of spring 22 is stopped in its turning movement about the pivot 12 by engaging with a transverse pin 23 received in the recesses lid of the sides 15. The pin 23 extends between spaced parallel sides 2 1 integrally connected at their outer edges by transverse upper and lower cross bars 25 and 26. The pin 23, preferably has opposite fiat sides as shown. The sides 25 of the bolt are provided with spaced arms 21 in the same planes as the sides of the bolt, which extend inwardly from the lower portions of said bolt sides. The arms at their free ends carry a keeper engaging roller 28 on a pin 29, the ends of which are carried by said arms. The sides 24 of the bolt are each provided with an arc-shaped inwardly extending projection 30 (Fig. 4), the center of curvature of which is coincident with the curvature of the axis of pin 23.

Each of the sides 24 of the bolt near its upper end has a downwardly and inwardly inclined elongated slot 3!, closed at both ends, cut or otherwise formed therein. A horizontal pin 32, having its ends carried by the spaced sides 6 and l of the latch fixture, passes through the slots. a.

A coiled torsion spring 33 is around the pin 23 between the sides 24 of the bolt and has end arms, one bearing against the upper edge of the cross bar 25 and the other against the outer edge of the guide plate 2| (Figs. 1 and 2).

When the door is closed and is to be opened, the handle 9 is grasped (Fig. 2) and turned in a clockwise direction, whereupon the bell crank member is actuated with a lifting of the rollers i8 and a swinging of pin 23 in a clockwise direction such movement of the pin 23 being due to the latch bolt movement about pin 32 caused by spring 33. The pin 23 follows the rollers it until pin i9 contacts the recess between projections 38 (Fig. l), the keeper-engaging roller 28 being lifted above the book of the keeper. In such position a line joining the centers of the pin 23 and the pivot pin 32 of the latch bolt passes slightly to the left (Fig. 1) of the center of the pin 59, thus holding the latch cooked in the position to which it has been moved upon release from the keeper.

In closing the door, with the latch in the cooked position shown in Fig. 1, the roller will strike against the upper projection shown above of a latch bolt, the sides beingthe recess of the keeper 3 (Fig. 1) whereupon the bolt will be initially slightly turned about the axis of the pivot 32 to move a line connecting the center of pin 23 with the pin 32 to the opposite side of the axis of pin 19, whereupon the force of the spring 22 will continue the movement of the bolt and bring it snugly into the keeper recess, compressing the gasket and tightly sealing the door.

If, as happens at times, the latch either accidentally or otherwise does not remain cocked when it has been released from the keeper in opening the door, on closing said door roller 28 will ride upon the inclined outer edge of the keeper or strike 3 with a bodily lift of the latch bolt and a turning of it as the pin 32 traverses the slots 3!, from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that in Fig. i, and such compression of the spring 22 as may be necessary to carry the roller 28 over the upper end of the keeper hook. As soon as the roller 28 passes over said keeper hook the spring 22 will act to force the roller into the keeper recess to the position shown in Fig. 2.

The latch structure described is relatively easy to operate, with an expenditure of light force in releasing the latch. When the latch is in closed position the force of the spring 22 is exerted upon pin 23 in the bolt by means of rollers 18 to provide a horizontal component of the force which tends to move the bolt against the vertical inner edge of the hook of the keeper, with a corresponding exertion of pressure upon the sealing gasket to compress it. There is a wedging action in the engagement of the pin 23 with the rollers l8 which multiplies the force of the spring 22 upon the sealing gasket to compress it.

With a surface-attached latch of the structure described the latch mechanism is covered by a housing 3d, the outer surface of which is decoratively plated, and which is connected by short bolts 35 to the connecting portion 8 of the latch mechanism fixture, which in turn is secured to the door in any suitable manner.

In Fig. 6 the same principles of operation and results and effects thereof are obtained in a latch structure concealed within the door. On a fixed bracket support 36 between the inner and outer sides of the door a fixture having spaced upper and lower sides 31 and an inner side 38 is mounted upon the support 38 in any suitable mannner, for example, by flanges turned outwardly from the upper and lower sides 31. The inner side 38 has a tongue 39 struck therefrom to lie between the upper and lower sides 31. The tongue is located between the ends of the fixture and at the end thereof farthest away from the edge of the door a bell crank actuating lever 40 is pivotally mounted at its outer corner at 4!. The fixture comprises two sides connected by a cross piece 42 adjacent the opposite outer corner of the lever, against which one end of a push rod 43, mounted for slidable longitudinal movement on the door, engages. The outer end portion of the rod extends in front of the door and is adapted to be moved by a spring-actuated handle 44 pivoted on a pin d5, so that pulling outwardly on the handle moves the rod 43 inwardly and turns the lever 40 clockwise about the pivot 41.

A bar 46 is pivotally connected at one end to the inner corner of the lever 40 around which is a coiled compression spring 41, corresponding to the spring 22 in the previously described structure, the spring bearing at one end against the tongue 39 and at the other on a shoulder of the bar 46 as shown. At its opposite end a rod 48 extends transversely through the bar 46 on which rollers 49 are mounted corresponding to the rollers I 8. A lever having spaced parallel sides 50 connected by cross member 5| is pivotally mounted on a pin 52 at its outer end, said pin being carried between the upper and lower sides 31 of the fixture and its sides have recesses 50a at one edge in which a cross pin 53 on the latching bolt is adapted to seat. The latch bolt, similar to the earlier described latching bolt, has two spaced parallel sides 54 connected by separated integral cross members 55 and 56, and with arms 51 extending inwardly toward the inner side of the door. Between the two arms 5! of the two sides 54 of the bolt, a roller 58 is located mounted for rotation on a pin 59. The roller 58 engages with the hook of the keeper 3 when the door is closed. At the inner edges of the sides 54 of the latch bolt, arc-shaped projections 60 are provided, in the same association with the roller pin 48 as the projections 30 are with roller pins IQ of the first described structure. Angularly disposed slots 6! are made through the sides 54 of the latch bolt near the outer end thereof, through which a pin 62 extends, it being mounted at its ends on the upper and lower sides 51 of the carrying fixture. A torsion coiled spring 63 around the pin 62 has arms at its ends, one bearing against an edge of the bolt cross member 56 and the other against the inner edge of the tongue '39.

It is evident that this concealed latch structure housed within the door may be operated for release to a cocked position and for disengagement when the door is closed, and also for engagement with the inclined outer edge of the keeper hook if the latch is accidentally or otherwise uncocked with the door in open position, the same as the previously described structure, with an attainment of identical results.

The rods 23 and 53, having opposed sides flattened and with rounded edges between sides substantially on the arc of a circle, perform an important, practical function in connection with the latch structures. They permit a greater tolerance in the setting of the hook 3 and substantially insure that not only will the latch when released from the door take its cocked position, but that when the door is closed it will be snugly and tightly closed with the rollers 28 and 58 fully ngaged with the keeper or strike hook and with the latch mechanism completely tripped. With the pins 33 and 53 of circular cross section, the adjustment of the keeper hook 3 must be accurate with a very limited tolerance which allows only about 3 of an inch clearance between the nose of the hook and the bolt roller with the mechanism in its unlatched and cooked position. But with the pins 23 and 53 having the opposite parallel flat sides there may be an allowance or tolerance of of an inch clearance between the bolt roller and the nose of the striker hook and still have the mechanism properly cocked when the bolt roller is pulled past the strike. This results from the fact that after the cam roller 18 first reaches the flattened area of the pin 23 the latch mechanism is cooked but the cam roller may roll a substantial distance along that surface to a full cocked position with no substantial change in the bias of the spring 22. Accordingly, little force is required to move the cam roller back across this flattened area to trip the latch mechanism, and, at the same time, the latch bolt may become initially cocked whil engaging the keeper and may move substantially beyond this position to a fully cocked position wherein it may clear the keeper with substantial leeway.

The insurance against the door being substantially closed without the latch being tripped and the gasket properly compressed thereby is important to maintain the proper degree of low temperature within the refrigerator space and prevent, as much as possible, the entrance of outside heat which causes an unnecessary and expensive increase in the operation of the refrigerating mechanism. Heretofore it has been possible to close the refrigerator door with a very light pressure which would cause the bolt to move in behind the strike part way only, with the latch mechanism not actually tripped. The door would have every appearance of being closed as it would be sufficiently held that it would not swing open. Such appearance of c1osing is caused by the fact that the strike engaging roller would move only part of the distance that it should move and while holding the door against swinging open, would not compress the gasket between the door and the refrigerator case and the latch mechanism would not be completely tripped to force the strike engaging roller to its required position to properly seal the door. With the structure as herein disclosed if the latch mechanism is not actually tripped it will return to its extreme outer position freeing from all disengagement with the strike hook 3, and the door is free to swing open, whereupon the door will be, in such case, again closed and in a manner such that the latch mechanism is tripped and moved from its cocked to its uncooked position with a certainty that the door is properly closed and sealed. This results from the fact that the contacted flattened area of the pin 23 preferably slopes-is non-perpendicular (canted) to a line joining 32 and 23-in such a direction that the spring 22 may expand very slightly as the cam roller l8 rolls from left to right along the flattened area in Fig. 1.

The structure described after thorough proving by test is one which is very practical and useful, readily manufactured at less cost, with less weight of material required, which reduces the cost of manufacture, and with an attainment of ease of operation and a development of stronger closing a door when closed will be in a tightly sealed relation to the refrigerator casing.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a latch construction, a bolt member for engaging a keeper, said member being movable between a keeper engaging position and a cocked position, a spring biased bolt-actuating member movable between a normal position corresponding to said keeper engaging position of said bolt member and an energized position corresponding to said cocked position of said bolt member, and a pair of cooperative cam elements, said cam elements comprising a cam roller rotatably mounted on one of said members and a cooperating element mounted on the other of said members, said cam elements being movable along lines lying substantially perpendicular to each other as said bolt member moves between said keeper engaging position and said cocked position and as said actuating member moves between said normal position and said energized position, the cam element mounted on said ac pressures to insure that 3 tuator member lying in the path of the cam element mounted on said bolt member and being in engagement therewith when said bolt member is in said keeper engaging position and said actuator member is in its normal position, and the cam element on said bolt member lying in the path of the cam element on said actuator member and being in engagement therewith when said bolt member is in said cocked position and said actuator member is in its energized position, said cooperating cam element having a substantial flattened area extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the cam element mounted on said bolt member and engageable with said cam roller when said bolt member is in said cocked position, whereby said cam roller may roll along said flattened area to permit corresponding movement of said bolt member with no substantial change in the bias of said bolt actuating member.

2. In a latch construction, a bolt member for engaging a keeper, said member being movable between a keeper engaging position and a cooked position, a spring biased bolt-actuating member movable between a normal position corresponding to said keeper engaging position of said bolt member and an energized position corresponding to said cock-ed position of said bolt member, and a pair of cooperative cam elements, said cam elements comprising a cam roller rotatably mounted on one of said members and a cam pin mounted on the other of said members, said cam elements being movable along lines lying substantially perpendicular to each other as said bolt member moves between said keeper engaging position and said cocked position and as said actuating member moves between said normal position and said energized position, the cam element mounted on said actuator member lying in the path of the cam element mounted on said bolt member and being in engagement therewith when said bolt member is in said keeper engaging position and said actuator member is in its normal position, and the cam element on said bolt member lying in the path of the cam element on said actuator member and being in engagement therewith when said bolt member is in said cocked position and said actuator member is in its energized position, said cam pin having a substantial flattened area extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the cam element mounted on said bolt member and engageable with said cam roller when said bolt member is in said cocked position, whereby said cam roller may roll along said flattened area to permit corresponding movement of said bolt member with no substantial change in the bias of said bolt-actuating member.

3. In a latch construction, a bolt member for engaging a keeper, said member being movable between a keeper engaging position and a cooked position, a spring biased bolt-actuating member movable between a normal position corresponding to said keeper engaging position of said bolt member and an energized position corresponding to said cocked position of said bolt member, and a pair of cooperative cam elements, said cam elements comprising a cam roller rotatably mounted on one of said members and a cam pin mounted on the other of said members, said cam elements being movable along lines lying substantially perpendicular to each other as said bolt member moves between said keeper engaging position and said cocked position and as said actuating member moves between said normal position and said energized position, the cam element mounted on said actuator member lying in the path of the cam element mounted on said bolt member and being in engagement therewith when said bolt member is in said keeper engaging position and said actuator member is in its normal position, and the cam element on said bolt member lying in the path of the cam element on said actuator member and being in engagement therewith when said bolt member is in said cocked position and said actuator member is in its energized position, said cam pin having a substantial flattened area extending substantially perpendicular to a line joining the pivotal axis of said bolt member and the center of the cam element on said bolt member at least when said bolt member is in said cocked position, and being engageable with said cam roller when said bolt member is in said cocked position, whereby said cam roller may roll along said flattened area to permit corresponding movement of said bolt member with no substantial change in the bias of said bolt actuating member.

4. In a latch construction, a bolt member for engaging a keeper, said member being movable between a keeper engaging position and a fully cooked position through an initially cocked position, a spring biased bolt-actuating member movable between a normal position corresponding to said keeper engaging position of said bolt member and an energized position corresponding to said cocked positions of said bolt member, and a pair of cooperative cam elements, said cam elements comprising a cam roller rotatably mounted on one of said members and a cam pin mounted on the other of said members, said cam elements being movable along lines lying substantially perpendicular to each other as said bolt member moves between said keeper engaging position and said fully cooked position and as said actuating member moves between said normal position and said energized position, the cam element mounted on said actuator member lying in the path of the cam element mounted on said bolt member and being in engagement therewith when said bolt member is in said keeper engaging position and said actuator member is in its normal position, and the cam element on said bolt member lying in the path of the cam element on said actuator member and being in engagement therewith when said bolt member is in said cocked positions and said actuator member is in its energized position, said cam pin having a substantial flattened area deviating by a small angle from perpendicularity to a line joining the pivotal axis of said bolt member and the center of the cam element on said bolt member at least when said bolt member is in said cocked positions, and being engageable with said cam roller when said bolt member is in said cocked positions, whereby said cam roller may roll along said flattened area to permit corresponding movement oi said bolt member from said initially cocked position to said fully cooked position with only a slight decrease in the bias of said bolt-actuating member.

References Cited in the file of thi patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

